1966 United States Senate election in Illinois

The 1966 United States Senate election in Illinois took place on November 8, 1966.[1] Incumbent Democratic United States Senator Paul Douglas, seeking a fourth term in the United States Senate, faced off against Republican Charles H. Percy, a businessman and the 1964 Republican nominee for Governor of Illinois. A competitive election ensued, featuring campaign appearances by former vice president Richard M. Nixon on behalf of Percy.[2] Ultimately, Percy ended up defeating Senator Douglas by a fairly wide margin, allowing him to win what would be the first of three terms in the Senate.

1966 United States Senate election in Illinois

← 1960 November 8, 1966 1972 →
Turnout71.56%
 
Nominee Charles Percy Paul Douglas
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 2,100,449 1,678,147
Percentage 54.95% 43.90%

County results

Percy:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80%

Douglas:      50–60%

U.S. senator before election

Paul Douglas
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Charles H. Percy
Republican

Background

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The primary (held on June 14) and general election coincided with those for House and state elections.[1]

Turnout in the primaries was 27.13%, with 1,509,302 votes cast.[1][3]

Turnout during the general election was 71.56%, with a total of 3,822,724 votes cast.[1][3]

Democratic primary

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Incumbent Paul Douglas was renominated, running unopposed.

Candidates

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Results

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Democratic primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Paul H. Douglas (incumbent) 840,936 100
Write-in Others 3 0.00
Total votes 840,939 100

Republican primary

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Businessman Charles H. Percy won the Republican primary by a large margin.

Candidates

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Results

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Republican primary results[1]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Charles H. Percy 605,815 90.64
Republican Howard J. Doyle 38,636 5.78
Republican Lar "America First" Daly 23,889 3.57
Write-in Others 23 0.00
Total votes 668,363 100

Write-in candidates

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General election

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Results

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United States Senate election in Illinois, 1966[1][3][4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Charles H. Percy 2,100,449 54.95% +9.75%
Democratic Paul H. Douglas (incumbent) 1,678,147 43.90% −10.73%
Write-in Robert Sabonjian 41,965 1.10%
Write-in Maxwell Primack 1,693 0.04%
Write-in Others 470 0.01%
Majority 422,302 11.05% +1.61%
Turnout 3,822,724 71.56
Republican gain from Democratic Swing

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 8, 1966 JUDICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION GENERAL PRIMARY, JUNE, 14, 1966" (PDF). Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved June 30, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Perlstein, Rick. Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America. New York: Scribner, 2008. Print.
  3. ^ a b c "OFFICIAL VOTE Cast at the GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 4, 1986" (PDF). www.elections.il.gov. Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved April 10, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 8, 1966" (PDF). Clerk.house.gov. Retrieved April 5, 2015.